Hard Times
by Ichigo and Hiyori
Summary: Naruto' was secretly developing a Time Travel jutsu for when the war got bad. Will it work? Will he go back to the desired time? Will Madara be defeated BEFORE the war happens a SECOND time? Will Naruto SURVIVE? Find this out, all in Hard Times! Read and Review please


_**AN: So, first story in a while. How was it? I know, I made Tayuya a bit O.C, but, it's my story. Also, I know my descriptions kind of lacked, I promise next chapter will be better. Criticism? Put it in a review, I'm open to it so long as it's not harshly worded. Enjoy!**_

"Shikamaru, Lee, I need you two to hold of Madara and the Juubi until the 4 past Hokages, Sasuke, and Orochimaru arrive for the battle," Naruto said, frowning. Shikamaru looked at him surprised, trying to figure out what Naruto was talking about.

"How are the 4 Hokages alive again?" Shikamaru asked, looking confused.

"I don't know. All I know is that Hashirama, Tobirama, Sarutobi, and my dad are approaching the battle. Sasuke and Orochimaru along with 3 others are approaching with them. I need you to strategize and work with the rest of the allied forces to hold them off until they arrive," Naruto explained, frowning even more.

"What are you going to do though?" Shikamaru asked, still confused.

"I'm going to kill Madara... before he develops this plan," Naruto said, frowning again as he opened his eyes.

"How are you going to do that?" Shikamaru asked, bewildered.

"A juts I've been developing. It hasn't been tested, but I know it will wo-"

"Naruto!" Minato yelled, being the first to arrive on scene of all the Hokages.

"Dad!" Naruto yelled, sprinting over to his father.

"Son, I can finally help you," Minato said, smiling sadly.

"That's the thing. I'm not staying, not here, at least," Naruto said, puzzling yet another person.

"What do you mean?" Minato asked, ignoring the incredulous looks he was receiving from all the other ninja.

"I'm going back in time to stop Madara with a jutsu I developed. I know the four Hokages are strong, but I have to see if I can stop this before it all happens, and try to bring back those that died," Naruto said, frowning, but he continued, "even if my jutsu fails and I die, I know that you and the other Hokages can get rid of Madara and Obito if he kills Kakashi. Dad, if I die, I won't be sad, because all the things I love are already dead," Naruto said, frowning as he ran off, not waiting as he performed a few hand-seals, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Seconds later, Sarutobi and the other Hokages arrived, confused.

"Minato, where is Naruto?" Sarutobi asked, confused. Minato frowned, before shaking it off.

"He's going to save everybody's lives," Minato said, before howling in rage. He disappeared in a flash.

_3 years earlier_

_Ichiraku Ramen, the day before the final Chuunin Exams_

"Naruto, wake up. Naruto!" Teuchi yelled, standing over Naruto, who had passed out and seemingly grown taller, his clothes changing with him into that of his training trip outfit(orange and Black). He was in the store room of Ichiraku's, Teuchi having brought him back as soon as Naruto passed out.

"Hey Teu- crap!" Naruto yelled, upset. "What's today?"

"The day before the final Chuunin Exams. Naruto, are you ok?" Teuchi asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Please don't tell anybody what happened," Naruto pleaded.

"OK Naruto, but the redhead next to you seemed a bit concerned when you collapsed, and she's still waiting for you out there," Teuchi said, interested as to see if Naruto knew her.

"Who is she?" Naruto asked, confused. H only knew of a few redheads, all of them not in the village at the time.

"Don't know, thought you knew her," Teuchi said, frowning.

"Well, just remember not to tell anybody what happened, please," Naruto said, and Teuchi just nodded. Naruto sighed and walked out of the storeroom and back to his seat, which was next to a certain redheaded sound ninja.

"Hey, are you ok?" Tayuya asked, having taken off the cussing teenager of a mask she usually had on. Naruto, surprised to see that it was the sound ninja who helped Sasuke get away, hid his emotions.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just ate a bit too much Ramen. What's your name?" Naruto asked, curious to see if she acted the same.

"My name's Tayuya, yours?" Tayuya asked, smiling after the question. '_Holy crap, she's beautiful when she smiles like th- no! Don't think like that, you're on a mission,' _Naruto thought.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, Tayuya," Naruto said, reaching out to shake the redhead's hand, smiling.

"Hey, aren't you fighting the Hyuuga in the finals tomorrow?" Tayuya asked, curious as she shook the blonde's hand.

"Yeah, though I have some business to deal with a certain snake," Naruto said, growling as the thoughts boiled up. _'Crap, does he know? Maybe he just has a grudge on Orochimaru,' _Tayuya thought, keeping her cool.

"Hey, Naruto, how about I treat you to dinner tonight in celebration for your win tomorrow?" Tayuya asked, surprising Naruto.

"Uh, sure. Mind if I meet you here before the dinner? I have to take care of some business," Naruto asked, and Tayuya nodded.

"Sure, just please where something nice," Tayuya said, smiling.

"Thank you, I'll be back in about 2 hours," Naruto said, paying Teuchi for the Ramen. He darted off at top speeds, using sage mode to locate Orochimaru. He found him just outside the village, going over plans with Kabuto.

"Seems we have an unwelcome visitor, Kabuto," Orochimaru said, smiling.

"You snaky little bastard. You really think you're going to kill Jiji tomorrow, don't you?" Naruto asked, arriving in the clearing.

"And you're going to stop us how?" Orochimaru asked, smiling.

"My father could have stopped you, and I will stop you," Naruto said, causing Orochimaru to stiffen.

"Orochimaru-sama, he currently possesses more chakra than all 5 villages ninja forces combined," Kabuto said, sensing Naruto's levels.

"Impossible, just a month ago he could barely tap into the Kyuubi's power," Orochimaru said, still a bit serious from the father comment.

"I could let you live right now, so you could help me defeat Madara and Obito, but, I'm still pissed with you for sealing Kyuubi off," Naruto said, nearly slipping up about Orochimaru killing Jiji.

"Gaki! Run!" Jiraiya yelled, having followed Naruto.

"No. Jiraiya, this is my fight! Stay out of it or else!" Naruto yelled, activating sage mode.

"Naruto, you idiot! He's an S-ranked crim-" Jiraiya was cut off as Naruto disappeared and reappeared behind Orochimaru, surprising the 2 traitorous ninja as well. Naruto already had a Rasengan formed, shoving it at Orochimaru, who barely dodged.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, creating more than 1000 clones, which quickly surrounded the duo. "Orochimaru, give up. I am willing to let you live so you can help me defeat Madara, Obito, and the Akatsuki. If you choose to fight, I will kill you," Naruto yelled, walking into the circle that contained the duo.

"Hmph, like a gennin could defeat me," Orochimaru said cockily, before Naruto ended his life with 30 Rasengans in a matter of seconds.

"Kabuto, you I am going to just fucking kill," Naruto said out of anger, ending Kabuto in a similar matter.

"G-gaki, how the hell did you just do the Rasengan and Sage mode?" Jiraiya asked, stunned.

"Hehe, I guess I should explain. I kind of came back in time," Naruto said bluntly.

"Stop lying Naruto," Jiraiya warned. Naruto frowned at the remark.

"How else would I know Rasengan and Sage Mode? And about the Akatsuki? About Nagato being your former student?" Naruto shot back at Jiraiya, stunning the old ninja.

"But how?" Jiraiya asked, confused.

"My own jutsu is how. I developed it in preparations for the 4th shinobi world war, which was really just the Akatsuki and Kabuto against the 5 shinobi villages. And if you get a lead on the leader of the Akatsuki, send me instead. I can handle the situation," Naruto said, surprising Jiraiya.

"Does Sarutobi know?" Jiraiya asked.

"Nope. I just came back maybe an hour ago, so you are the only one that knows," Naruto said.

"Is this Obito the same one off of your father's team?" Jiraiya asked, receiving a nod.

"Yeah. Madara somehow survived to be an old man, and apparently saved Obito, but turned him into an Akatsuki member named 'Tobi'. He was responsible for the Nine Tailed Fox being released from my Mom," Naruto explained. Jiraiya nodded. "Now, I have to go get ready. I've got a date tonight," Naruto said, that being the most surprising thing of all. Naruto disappeared again, leaving Jiraiya to process the information.

_2 hours later, Naruto's apartment_

"It's a good thing I can do a solid henge, or else those stores wouldn't have let me in," Naruto said, tucking in his new dark blue dress shirt into a pair of light brown Khaki pants. He wore a nice pair of dress shoes, a dark brown color. He walked out of the bathroom, shutting off the lights in the apartment, before locking the door and heading out to meet Tayuya. He walked casually to the Ramen stand, receiving odd looks and the occasional whistle from an out of town female visitor. When he reached the Ramen stand, his jaw dropped. There stood Tayuya, in a luxurious dark blue silk dress that went down to her ankles with matching blue 1 ½ inch heels. Her beautiful red hair was combed to be behind her shoulders, with one pesky bang hanging in front of the left side of her face. A golden necklace hung on top of the dress, completing the outfit.

"Hey Tayuya!" Naruto called out, breaking out of his temporary daze. Tayuya looked over to see Naruto, smiled, and walked over to him.

"Naruto, you look amazing!" Tayuya said, meaning every word of it.

"You look like an angel, Tayuya," Naruto said, causing Tayuya to blush at the comment. Naruto smiled brightly, mirroring Tayuya's own smile.

"Shall we go then?" Tayuya asked, interlocking her right arm with Naruto's left. Naruto nodded, and the walked off, Tayuya leading Naruto to the restaurant of her choice. Naruto kept stride with the beautiful redhead, receiving questioning looks from people they passed. They got to the restaurant, the name being 'Frank's'. When they got inside, it looked like one of those fancy restaurants that served celebrities. Tayuya checked them in with their reservation, and the waiter led them to their seats, handing them menus once they sat down.

"Wow. I didn't even know this place existed," Naruto said, genuinely surprised. Tayuya giggled at Naruto's amazement.

"So, Naruto, did you take care of your business?" Tayuya asked, and Naruto nodded.

"Yep, and you're free tomorrow. You don't have to obey him any more," Naruto said, surprising Tayuya.

"Y-you knew?" Tayuya whispered, surprised.

"Yep. That was part of the reason I had business to take care of, that, and a friend was affected by him. But, no longer can he control you or anybody else," Naruto said, and frowned when Tayuya's eyes watered like she was going to cry.

"T-thank you, Naruto! Thank you," Tayuya said, happy that she was free. She wiped the tears of joy away, slightly embarassed.

"Not a problem. If you don't believe me, you can check if the seal is still there," Naruto said, to which she smiled brightly once again.

"So, if you took him out, then Neji shouldn't be a problem tomorrow," Tayuya said, smiling as she looked through the menu.

"Nope, though I think I might want to tone down my abilities tomorrow. A true shinobi never shows their full abilities unless in a life or death battle," Naruto said, looking through the menu for Ramen.

"Yeah, but, as a Shinobi, life is short. One day you're alive, the next, you're dead with a kunai in your throat," Tayuya said, finding what she wanted.

"Ok, then I'll go all out on Neji. But, enough of that. Tell me more about yourself, all I know is your name," Naruto said, curious Tayuya's smile faltered a little bit, but went back to a brilliant smile.

"Well, I lived in a small village outside of Oto til I was 8. Then, everybody but I was slaughtered by _his_ team, I was left as a test subject for his 'seal'. Before _him_, my life was amazing, my parents were the best, and so were my friends. I miss it all, everyday, and in the end, I ended up putting on a tough, hardened mask to hide myself from the ot-"

"Tayuya, _they_ are here. We can't fight here, not with all these civillians around," Naruto said, strategizing.

"Naruto, you mean the rest of the team?" Tayuya asked, receiving a nod.

"Yeah. Stay here, I can take care of them. I'll be back in about 15 minutes, I promise. Just order the Ramen for me, please," Naruto yelled as he sprinted out of the restaurant, spotting the rest of the sound four. "Hey, sound four! Come and get me!" Naruto yelled, tackling Jirobo before running off, the team following him. Little did he know, Tayuya followed him, unsealing her flute as she did so.

_5 minutes later, outside the village_

"Alright, we're away from the village. Enough running," Naruto said, turning around to face his pursuers.

"Alright brat, you have some explaining to do. How do you know who we are, and why are you targetting us?" Jirobo asked, him and the others circling Naruto.

"Alright, I'll say this once and only once. I killed Orochimaru, and I am going to kill all of you, simple enough. Or, you could just walk away and never come back. I would be nice enough to let you live," Naruto said, preparing to fight. As soon as he finished, a soft melody rang over his ears. The Kyuubi recognized this as a genjutsu, but hesitated, seeing it only affect the sound nin and not Naruto, so he stayed out of the fight.

"Naruto, did you really think I'd stay out of the fight? You're outnumbered four to one, so I have to help ya," Tayuya said from her perch in the trees while her former teammates had dazed looks on their faces.

"Tayuya, I could've easily matched their numbers. That's what shadow clones are for," Naruto said, smiling before throwing 4 kunai, each hitting the neck of a sound four member. All four sound ninja dropped to the ground, necks spurting blood.

"So, should we go back to the restaurant?" Naruto asked, his clothes dirty from running through the woods. Tayuya jumped down and walked over to him.

"Nah, once we leave the restaurant, our table is lost. Besides, the sun is setting, and it makes the woods a beautiful place to be," Tayuya said, locking arms with Naruto's, both teens smiling as they walked through the woods. The sunset gave the woods a brilliant orange glow, though some of the day's heat left, being replaced by cold. This caused Tayuya to snuggle up to Naruto as they walked.

"Naruto, I told you about my past, but I don't know yours, so?" Tayuya hinted, causing Naruto to give a short laugh.

"Well, I'm the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, so that made life horrible for me in Konoha. Everybody thought I was the Kyuubi reincarnated, though I guess it doesn't help I was born on the same day as it was sealed. My father was the fourth Hokage, but only a select few know that. I raised myself, nobody was willing to take me. I had no friends, the only people I had were the Ramen stand people, Sarutobi-Jiji, and a few Anbu that watched over me. Now I at least have some friends," Naruto said, smiling again.

"Wow. I guess we're similar, in ways," Tayuya said, smiling sadly at the thought.

"Yeah. Now, I have to stop the one-tailed jinchuriki from going rampant throughout Konoha, while everybody else has to stop the rest of sand and sound from invading," Naruto said, frowning.

"Geez, you make it sound like you've been through this all already," Tayuya said, joking around.

"So, where are you going to go now? Since _he's_ dead?" Naruto asked, and Tayuya laughed.

"I honestly don't know. I haven't really thought about it. Maybe I'll stay with you," Tayuya said, only partly joking.

"Ok," Naruto said, serious about his answer. "My father had bought a house for me, him, and My mom, but, I never got to see it because, well, you know. But, Jiji has the key to the house along with a few of his possesions that I'm supposed to get when I'm strong enough to protect myself," Naruto explained.

"So, do you think the Hokage's still in his office right now?" Tayuya asked, and Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, I'm surprised he hasn't been buried alive under the paperwork. He's usually there til about 10 at night," Naruto said, heading back to the village with Tayuya at his side, still snuggling up against him.

_**AN: So, first story in a while. How was it? I know, I made Tayuya a bit O.C, but, it's my story. Also, I know my descriptions kind of lacked, I promise next chapter will be better. Criticism? Put it in a review, I'm open to it so long as it's not harshly worded**_


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